Why We RV: Paul and Lorena Charron of The Motorhome Experiment

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Wade Thiel

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Wade divides his time among various outdoor activities in both urban and rural environments. An adventurer by nature, he is always up for a challenging hike, fun hunt, or day out on the water with friends and family. When he isn’t enjoying the outdoors, he’s writing, reading, or tinkering with motorcycles and cars.

What do you do when you live what appears to be the American Dream but still feel like life has more to offer? How do you know you’re going to find what you seek if you set off on an unsure path?

Paul and Lorena Charron found answers to these questions by leaving behind their seemingly comfortable lifestyle in a nice neighborhood on the south end of Las Vegas, Nevada. They set off in their RV in December of 2016 in pursuit of new adventures and a new life.

New Lifestyle, New Home

Paul and Lorena Charron

There’s no simple solution to a complex problem. As business owners, Paul and Lorena know this. They work together to run a successful car detailing business located in Las Vegas.

With the business in a good place and their aspirations for a new chapter in life, they started weighing their options.

“We were bored with the status quo and wondered what to do next,” Paul said.

He started looking into living life on a sailboat and traveling the world, but Lorena wasn’t too enthused with that option.

“She didn’t want to drown in the middle of the ocean with me,” Paul said chuckling.

He and Lorena were nice enough to spend a half hour or so with me on the phone to chat about their journey.  With his first idea floundering, Paul went back to the drawing board.

He and Lorena both always loved to travel. They tried to disappear to far-away locations as often as possible to disconnect and recharge before coming back to their life in Las Vegas. Having traveled abroad some, they both realized that they hadn’t seen much of the U.S.

Their new goal was to see the areas of the country they’d overlooked. That’s when Paul got the idea for the motorhome. Lorena was hesitant at first.

“Everyone has a picture of retirees, or they picture Cousin Eddie from Christmas Vacation, and that’s just not the case,” Paul said.

Paul and Lorena bought an RV and tried out a few test trips. Within the first or second trip, Lorena was completely onboard.

“It’s like having a tiny apartment,” She said. “You have your kitchen and your bedroom, and I realized this will not be a hard lifestyle. You have everything you need.”

Lorena said the worst that could happen was that she and Paul would go back to the life they’d been living.

“Once I realized that we could make a serious lifestyle change, and I was okay with that, I told him, ‘Let’s go for it.’”

From there, the couple sold everything. The only things they kept fit either in their RV or in a five-by-five storage space and most of that is necessary files and paperwork for their business.

Making the New Life Work

Paul and Lorena Charron

While Paul and Lorena were on the same page and excited about the opportunity to travel the country and pursue new experiences, other people in their life weren’t so enthusiastic.

“All our friends thought we were nuts,” said Paul. “They were like, ‘What is wrong with you? Why would you want to go from your 1,800 square foot home to a 240 square foot box on wheels?’ They just didn’t get it.”

Paul and Lorena chalk this up to the fact that their friends were still trying to make the typical lifestyle work.

“They didn’t understand we were trying to get out of the grind and have more fun in our lives,” Lorena said.

That didn’t last forever. As Paul and Lorena moved around the U.S. and shared their travels, their friends came around. Some even bought RVs of their own.

“We have a friend who is in the process of selling everything and full-timing right now,” Paul said.

When it comes to the financial side of things, Paul and Lorena still have business responsibilities. When they first started out, they found an employee willing to take on the day-to-day business operations. Then they slowly weaned themselves off working the typical workday.

They still take care of various managerial tasks, but they can do that from the road. Every once in a while, Paul and Lorena will make the trip back to Vegas to fix any problems that arise and ensure the business is running smoothly.

In addition to their business and their travels, the couple also has a popular YouTube channel called The Motorhome Experiment. Paul just started recording their move out of their house and into their RV. He posted it to YouTube.

“All the sudden it just started to gain popularity, and I got hooked,” Paul said. “I really like it. I like the vlogging aspect of it. We really enjoy meeting people through it on the road.”

Paul and Lorena Charron

Lorena said that meeting people who’d seen the videos changed things for her and Paul. They started having friends on the road that they saw in different areas of the country. Paul said the RV world is smaller than they originally thought, and they’ve seen many of the same people during their travels.

As far as their travel plans go, Paul and Lorena don’t like to get too tied down to a specific schedule.

“We’re horrible planners,” Paul said. “We’re in Las Vegas right now, but that’s just for the business, and then we want to go down to Cabo San Lucas for the winter, but no specifics.”

Paul and Lorena found light planning is what works best for them. When they first started out, they had a vague plan to get Key West, Florida. They took their time and eventually ended up there. While there, they met some viewers of their channel, a couple, and started talking about going to Nova Scotia, Canada. Paul, Lorena, and the other couple decided that sounded like a fun idea, so off they went up the East Coast. They’ve built a strong friendship with them.

After traveling around eastern Canada, they started talking about crossing an Alaskan RV trip off their bucket list, so they headed that way in early 2018. They started their trek north in San Diego and tried to stay as close to the Pacific Coast Highway as possible along the way.

Paul and Lorena say that going with only a rough plan works best for them because they like the flexibility. They like being able to spend an extra week somewhere or deciding to leave somewhere sooner than they originally thought they would want to.

They’ll both tell you that there have been times when their lack of plans failed them. The holidays, for instance, throw a wrench into things because so many people are on the road or at the campgrounds.

“This lifestyle kind of blends every day into the next, so you can forget and then it’s like, ‘Oh, today is July 4th,’” Paul said.

Packed campgrounds during the holidays are no big deal for them. They just find another place to go, whether it’s a campground down the road or a night spent boondocking in a Walmart parking lot.

“Part of doing this was that we wanted to be flexible,” Paul said. “We wanted it to be different than our day to day because with our lives at home with the business we were, up at 3 am and done by noon. That was every single day seven days a week.”

Both Paul and Lorena discussed how strongly they felt before moving into the RV that they needed to make a change. From the outside, their life looked pretty good, but neither was happy with their situation. Downsizing and moving into the RV gave them freedom from the repetitive, mundane lives they were living.

With that said, making the transition proved to be harder than they thought. Paul said he thought it would be easy to get rid of most of their things, but he didn’t realize how mentally and emotionally attached he was to some items.

“I realized the mental side of it is crazy when you try to dump all of that,” He said. “You start thinking about what you’re going to do without.”

But what Paul and Lorena made clear is that once they made that jump, they didn’t have those anxieties anymore.

“Trade your stuff for experiences,” Said Lorena. “You’ll live a more fulfilling life,”

What the Future Holds

Paul and Lorena Charron

When Paul and Lorena set out in their RV, they planned to travel around only for one year. Halfway into their first year in the RV, Lorena realized that they weren’t going to be able to see all of the places they wanted to in the time that they originally hoped to. So, they decided to eliminate their end date.

“We’re going to do this until we’re tired of it,” Paul said. “At this point, we’re two years living full-time and have no end in sight.”

Paul did say they’ve discussed what will happen when or if they will settle down. If they ever do find another place to have a permanent home base, they will still have an RV. Whether they sell or trade in or buy a new RV along the way is to be determined.

“We’re not close to that, though,” said Lorena. “We’ve talked about that, but right now RVing full-time doesn’t have an end date.”

Paul also said he wants to continue growing his YouTube channel. Currently, the couple tries for two videos a week, and they want to continue doing travel videos but expand to how-to videos and other topics that help people get into the lifestyle—a lifestyle both Paul and Lorena find more fulfilling than the one they lived before.  

The biggest thing I took away from my chat with Paul and Lorena is this: challenge the accepted norms and don’t be scared to take chances. In most cases, the worst that can happen is you’ll get stuck right back where you are now.


What do you think of Paul and Lorena’s story? Leave a comment below.

  • Comment (63)
  • Happy Vibes says:

    Just happened upon this article! I have followed Paul and Lorena since the beginning when they first purchased the RV. I also had the pleasure of meeting them in the Florida Keys. They are just as wonderful in person as in their video’s. They seem to be a very happy out-going couple. I have enjoyed following their adventures for the past few years. I wish them all the best with many more happy trails and safe travels!

  • George Smith says:

    Melissa and I have been following Paul, Lorena, and Kevin, and Laura, since their first few videos. We’ve been looking forward to meeting up with them somewhere, sometime. We went fulltime in July 2018 and were far away from them. But, since boondocking was one of the things we wanted to do, we met up with TME at Quartzite, and spent several days with these lunatics. It was some of the most fun that we’ve had RVing so far. We love these guys. And one thing that I can tell you is, that these guys are just as real in person, as they are on TME. Paul is one of the most positive people that I have ever met. Can’t wait to meet up with them again.

  • mickeypeacebus ( John & April ) says:

    We love Paul & Lorena as well. Been watching from the beginning…met them in Quartzsite and it was great! We are full timers as well. Hope to see them again in our travels.

  • Diana McGee says:

    We (my hubby/I) love following Paul and Lorena. We have watched them from the beginning as well as several other RV UTubers. They are in part responsible for us being full timers in our RV. I was diagnosed with tongue cancer and recovered from a very nasty surgery…followed by radiation. We put our house up for sale…gave most of the ‘stuff’ inside to our kids/grandkids…and some we put in storage. I told my hubby that I want to see this wonderful country we live in….and we are living that life now. I have a tie to my home state for much needed medicines and doctor appointments that I need to attend. We finally were able to actually meet Paul and Lorena (The Motorhome Experiment) at a campfire gathering in Quartzsite.

  • Kim says:

    Paul and Lorena are super down to earth and funny people. I love watching then on their adventures.

  • Cheryl and Richard Hampton says:

    As an older semi retired couple it may seem odd but Paul and Lorena are our mentors and coaches as we began full timing last May. We have been great friends for years, watched their transition into this life and were inspired to change ours. This article is very well written and refelects a small part of what a great couple they truly are. Congrats to them for this recognition. We love them dearly.

  • Tammy and Ron Tudor says:

    Lovely article about an amazing couple! We love watching Paul, Lorena and Ozzy as they travel and explore wherever the wind blows them that week. My husband found them fairly soon after they hit the road and we have gone back to video one and watched them all the way thru. Funny, real, sincere, caring and down to earth people that produce informative content in a way that is as genuine as they are. Cannot wait to meet them in person when we hit the road in Jan of 2020 (sooner if we can find a way)! Until then we will explore this beautiful and quirky country and wait for Paul to find his next thing to exclaim ‘How cool is that?’ about. 🙂 Safe travels guys.

  • Mike Venti says:

    TME is the greatest. They have a unique travel video logs…always fun to listen, watch, laugh and enjoy. We started watching their fun travels when they decided to sell the townhouse. Hooked from there. They have fun, they enjoy life, and they help understand the ups and downs and give great suggestions of travel. We will always follow these two great people!!!! Can’t say enough….

  • Donna says:

    I started watching TME from the beginning. I live vicariously through them.
    Traveling the USA and seeing all the beauty of this country has been a life long dream of mine.
    Paul and Lorena are so warm and welcoming. Their videos are excellent. I love when they boondock in beautiful places.
    Thank you for featuring them! They are the best!

  • Sherry johnston says:

    We love Paul & Lorena met them @ their meetup in Vegas this fall. Great peeps love the channel & we are also glad we get to travel full time in our DP MH, this really is the wonderful life. Great article

  • Sheila Hagadone says:

    Paul & Lorane are such great, wonderful, down to earth people!!! You chose a great couple to pug in your blog!!!!

  • Steph H. says:

    Love the Motor Home Experiment vlogs. They are so fun to watch. My husband and I watch them together and dream about RV’ing in the future when we retire.

  • Terry says:

    Love their YouTube channel. Their the best!

  • Karin and Lou says:

    We have been following Paul and Lorena from the very beginning. It’s because of them we have started the purging of our house with our own dreams of getting out on the road full time. We never miss a vlog and have even changed plans at Disney so as not to miss “Last Saturday Night Live”. We are looking forward to the day we get to meet our RV friends. Karin and Lou from the Jersey Shore.

  • Meredith Brooks says:

    We’ve watched Paul & Lorena from the beginning. They are the reason we went full time RV’ers. Love them!!

  • Cindy says:

    I love these guys !I have watched since day 1.

  • Brian says:

    I’ve been watching Paul and Lorena from before they left Vegas. Always fun to see where they are, and to watch the antics 🙂

  • Diane says:

    I love Paul and Lorena! I have been watching them on YouTube almost from the beginning of their adventure, they are awesome people. Their travels in Canada changed my Bucket List. Now it’s longer because of them!!

  • Guy says:

    I have been following these two for quite some time. They are great people.

  • Bob Ovendale says:

    Love The MH E we love watching them just bought a new fifth wheel from Camping World Coburg, OR now getting ready to see the Country and maybe meet up with MHE. Love what you do

  • Jack J says:

    TME is the berries. So glad they have this recognition. Hope to run into them out on the road someday.

  • Barbara Campbell says:

    Paul and Lorena do great travel videos! Their Alaska videos were especially outstanding. They are fun to watch.

  • Chris and Brenda Mills says:

    They are a blast to follow along with on their journey. They make the RV life so appealing and we hope to follow in their footsteps one day!!

  • Mark and Debbie says:

    Great travels. We enjoy watching their show.

  • Aaron Mills says:

    Watching them explore the country is a lot of fun, they were part of the inspiration for my family to go on the road full time, now almost a year into full timing, we are grateful we did!

  • Phyllis Perry says:

    We have been watching Paul and Lorena on YouTube since they began their journey. We have since added others to our list of must-see vlogs, but The Motorhome Experiment will always be one of our favorites. We hope to have an RV soon and watching others who live this awesome lifestyle has really encouraged us. Although we won’t be completely full time, we plan to spend much of our year in an rv.

  • Tricia Bradley says:

    The Motorhome Experiment is one our favorite channels. Doesn’t a great sense of humor make life more fun!? And these folks have that. Not only informational, their videos always give us a laugh as we watch them travel down the road.

  • Debi Buttino says:

    Paul and Lorena have been such an inspiration to us ! Love watching them and learning from them. And love checking out some future locations before we get there.
    Hoping to do this in a few years .

  • William Rogers says:

    TME has been an inspiration to us. Just starting on this journey since Oct ’18 it’s been great looking back but still looking forward to possibilities!

  • Donna Havighorst says:

    Notice how they look like they get younger the longer they travel?! Absolutely love them!!

  • Ed and Dixie Gallup says:

    We started watching Paul and Lorena when they first started their blog, My husband was getting ready to retire for the second and LAST time. I wanted to see the USA and watching The Motorhome Experiment just made me want to sell everything and GO. My husband had his right knee replaced and while healing up he power watched The Motorhome Experiment. He liked the fact that Paul knew a lot about fixing things and we both loved when they took tours of places on they trip and rated them as must see or maybe not. I don’t think Paul realizes how well his photography is and how well done his blog is. I trust Lorena to tell it like it is, if she does or doesn’t like a place they have been. Her word is Gold to me. We had the pleasure of meeting them at a Meet and Greet in Seattle in Oct. and were so pleased to see how worm and welcoming they were, it was as if we had known them for ever. Thank you for your great article on these two amazing people.

  • Jennifer says:

    Great story! Paul and Lorena are great (storytellers, inspiration, bloggers, people)!

  • Pamela and Jim says:

    We love Paul and Lorena. They have been an inspiration and we, too, are now planning our exit from ‘normal’. Thank you for sharing their story.

  • Gary says:

    Love watching their travels and would like to be able to do the same in our RV, just waiting for my son to finish University.

  • Angela says:

    I’m someone who may never do the RV lifestyle, but I’ve grown to appreciate it as a “real” option for so many people. It’s been fantastic learning from Paul and Lorena on The Motorhome Experiment, about other places, people, and cultural experiences. Three cheers for Adventure Nation!

  • Tom W. says:

    We found TME a couple weeks ago and are working through all their videos. We love them. One thing we take away from them is- don’t be afraid to take a chance. They are living the life and enjoying it, do it while you can.
    This was a very nice article.

  • Dan Popp says:

    I and my adventure motorcycle riding pals met Paul and Lorena as we crossed the Arctic Circle in the Yukon Territory in Canada this past summer. They immediately approached us and showed interest in OUR story, which is how we learned about THEIR story. They even featured us briefly in their vlog.

    Admit I was a bit jealous of their extended travel plans.

    Wish them the best of luck in the next legs of their odyssey.

  • Diane Stevenson says:

    Wonder couple I have enjoyed watching their blog from the beginning. I have learned a lot and found many places we want to visit when we get our RV and have the time to travel. Great article.

  • Paul & Rhonda says:

    They are an awesome couple to follow, as my wife and I are full-time RVers while I’m currently still working full-time, It is great to watch Them doing what we plan on doing soon

  • Bill Darnell says:

    Paul, Lorena, and the Motorhome Experiment are great. We have fun following their adventures, their ups and downs (Mostly ups) of living the nomad lifestyle, and seeing what they will be doing next.
    Paul and Lorena are great communicators. Their Vlog is fantastic. I subscribed to their blog a year and a half ago.
    We now own a Motorhome and are learning a new lifestyle and hope to be full timers soon.
    I recommend if you’re new to this, check out their YouTube channel, The Motorhome Experiment, and have a blast.

  • Jan & John says:

    We watch Paul and Lorena every week. We love their vlogs. We had campers years ago and wanted to buy an RV. Watching their vlogs helped us make the decision to finally bite the bullet and make the purchase. While full-time RVing is not for us, we applauded those who made that decision.
    Hope to meet up with TME on the road some day.

  • Pam says:

    Love TME and don’t miss a video. They are an inspiration to us knowing love birds can live tiny and still enjoy one another.

  • James Grimmett says:

    Great article. Next up for you guys will be RV the sequa . Lol

  • Mark Williams says:

    Great couple! My wife and I love following their adventures.

  • Brian Buchanan says:

    Great story…love this couple

  • Ann & Lee says:

    Loved this well written story ! My husband and I follow the Motorhome Experiment and love their videos. They gave us the encouragement we need to one day do the same thing. We are excited to see what Paula and Lorena do next year and will be eagerly awaiting each new video. As we find them very informative and entertaining.

  • Tom Henry says:

    We’ve met Paul and Lorena after watching several videos and they are great friends now. My wife and I are looking forward to seeing them again, maybe traveling with them a little in the future when we hit the road in our motorhome in fall of 2019.

    They have even been an inspiration to vlog and start our own YouTube channel too! Safe travels. ❤

  • Rick jones says:

    Hello Paul and Lorena,
    Rick and Debbie from Arkansas we like your show very much and looking forward to
    More video.We bought us a 2001 Fleetwood flair and plan to start traveling soon.
    Watching your videos gives us a lot of insight into rving .

  • Tammy says:

    Great article and love watching their videos

  • Dawn R. says:

    We have followed Paul and Lorena since the beginning. They are awesome! Thanks Camping World for featuring them!!

  • Dave says:

    How cool is that…..lol

  • Chuck H, The Breeze says:

    I have been following Paul and Lorena’s Youtube channel since before they actually bought their RV and it is, without a doubt, my favorite site. They are funny, entertaining and informative and Paul has become an excellent Youtuber over time with stunning content. Everyone should subscribe!

  • County Mom says:

    Our favorite traveling couple. They make all of us want to travel across the USA

  • Lynn Pulkka says:

    Paul & Lorena have become best friends that we’ve never met…yet! We started watching their vlog for tips & pointers on RV living, but their style and content have made watching mandatory! A great couple with great rapport and amazing video production! Thanks for sharing their story.

  • Marie Baker says:

    This wonderful couple is an inspiration for many! Thank you for featuring them! We watch their journey and hope to follow in their footsteps in the near future!

  • Tanya says:

    I love Paul and Lorena, and The Motorhome Experiment! My husband and I started watching them because we want insight into full timing. We want to do this in a few years!

  • Sandy Arney says:

    We watch them regularly. Enjoy their travels and look forward to their adventures. We RV also but not full time and they are an inpiration.

  • CJ Rivett says:

    They are one of the most “real” couples sharing their travel experience. Their “Last Saturday Live” feeds are better than most comedy shows!

  • Tammy says:

    Awesome, love their vlog watched them from the beginning.

  • Kathy Geoffrion says:

    Paul and Lorena are the best! We’ve enjoyed living vicariously through their Adventure Nation videos for quite a while now. We have a class A as well, but likely won’t get to all the far reaches they have. Thanks for featuring them! Safe travels to all.

  • Mark Ramsey says:

    Paul and Lorena have been real inspirations during our transition. We’ve followed them from the beginning. Look forward to meeting up with them one day soon!!

  • Joan Davis says:

    Paul, and Lorena are inspirational. We have followed all their video adventures from the beginning. We have been fulltime for 5 years, and get a lot of destination ideas from their videos.
    We even popped in for a few minutes at one of their gatherings just to thank them in person, and give them hugs .
    This was a very nice article . 😉

  • Tammy Tudor says:

    So much of the fun of being part of The Adventure Nation had been watching the people Paul and Lorena impact. We loved watching you guys make the leap to full time and love hearing updates when they mention you. Safe travels to you both!

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